Badge engineering is alive and well with the new 2019 Ford Territory

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In case you somehow still weren’t aware of just what a juggernaut China has become, here’s a titbit…By the year 2025 – that’s only a single vehicle generation away – Ford is planning to introduce 50 new vehicles to the Chinese market. That’s exactly as insane as it sounds.

Yes, the biggest buyer on the panel is definitely on a buying spree, and to please this growth Ford has been forced to dig deep. Basically, the Blue Oval can’t find enough cars to meet demand, and that’s why Ford has started looking to other manufacturers to find models to rebadge.

That’s where the new 2019 Ford Territory comes in – this SUV will go on sale in China next year, quite prominently wearing a Blue Oval badge on the nose. Only, it’s not a real Ford. Instead, Ford’s taken a Chinese JMC Yusheng S330 and messed around with it until they ended up with the 2019 Territory.

To further confuse things the 2019 Ford Territory is based on this Chinese JMC Yusheng S330, which is in turn basically a Landwind X7. Which is in turn basically a bad Range Rover Evoque copy…

This compact crossover will be offered with a choice of a petrol engine, plug-in hybrid, or plain hybrid and will be manufactured in China purely for Chinese customers. So why should you care? Well, because you can soon expect this to become the norm across the industry as China continues to not only lead the world in annual vehicle sales, but eventually also vehicle exports.

The 2019 Territory is one of 50 new cars Ford plans on introducing to China by the year 2025

Ford says the car’s been developed in China and Australia and features a bunch of safety and assistance systems including adaptive cruise control. Considering the car the 2019 Territory is based on costs around $8,000 in China, this could be a pretty big deal.

Even though Ford already offers Chinese buyers a whole range of crossovers, including similarly sized cars like the Ecosport, Kuga and Edge, this Territory should undercut the lot once it’s ready to hit the roads next year.